Song Wenjing was about to finish wiping it when he chuckled silently, “So delicate.”
She spoke very softly, but in the quiet atmosphere, Rong Shu naturally heard everything.
She knew he must have mistakenly thought she was afraid of pain.
She felt a little resentful. After he let go of her, she raised her hand to tie her clothes and went back to her own bed.
As a wife, Rong Shu had always been gentle and virtuous, and Song Wenjing had long been used to her being that way.
But at this moment, Rong Shu revealed a little bit of the charming and coquettish nature of a young lady from a noble family, which pleased him somewhat.
He feared that if he exposed her, given the shy nature of this young woman, she would be very embarrassed.
He placed the porcelain vase on the bedside table and only spoke to her after lying down.
“Apply the ointment twice a day and have Mei Yun massage it in gently. You’ll be better in less than five days.”
He was really too concerned tonight, and Rong Shu couldn’t understand why he had suddenly changed his attitude.
She mumbled a reply from under the covers, “Okay.”
She had her back to him, with half her head buried in the blanket.
She actually wanted to ignore it, but she couldn’t help it.
It’s like a habit ingrained in his bones; his every emotion—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—is always influenced by his various behaviors.
The tent fell silent again, with only the faint sound of the whistling wind outside the window and the soft breathing of the person beside you.
Song Wenjing glanced at his wife’s retreating figure, recalling what had happened last night…
If she hadn’t been injured today…
The more he thought about it, the more he resented Song Wenping.
After a long while, he realized that Rong Shu was still awake, so he lifted her blanket and pulled her into his arms.
Rong Shu was startled by his sudden action.
She was lost in thought when her body tensed up again.
She heard his hot breath in her ear and dared not move for a moment.
He was thinking to himself, “So he still wants to do that.”
She didn’t want to, but rationally she would never refuse. She had just calculated the dates, and these few days were the easiest to conceive.
If we miss these few days, Song Wenjing won’t be back from the academy for another ten days or so.
She reached up with one hand to the hand on her waist, a silent acquiescence and encouragement.
Song Wenjing paused for a moment, then took a deep breath, kissed her ear, and whispered, “Sleep.”
Rong Shu’s mind wavered.
Such intimate gestures made her feel very uncomfortable.
And it made her wonder if Song Wenjing had been possessed by something today?
Something seems off about it.
Perhaps it was because Song Wenjing’s embrace was too warm and comfortable, and she was afraid of the cold in winter, that she actually fell asleep not long after.
…
The next morning, Rong Shu vaguely heard the sound of someone getting up beside her.
Normally at this time, she would get up with Song Wenjing, help him choose his clothes, and help him change.
She turned over and, with her eyes half-open, saw him take clothes from the top drawer and change into them.
Song Wenjing never allowed other maids to get close to her. Rong Shu had heard her mother-in-law say that before she married into the family, Song Wenjing always dressed and groomed herself in Songtao Garden.
At first, she was smug, feeling that as his wife, she was different.
Now that I think about it, Song Wenjing actually seemed quite indifferent to everyone.
With her eyes closed, the scene she had seen before her rebirth suddenly flashed into her mind.
Song Wenjing stared blankly at the portrait of the eldest daughter of the Minister of Personnel…
Her initial hesitation about whether to get up vanished instantly.
Never mind, I’ll just pretend to be asleep.
But Song Wenjing noticed her movement as she turned over.
After fastening his waistband, he walked to the edge of the couch and leaned close to her.
Rong Shu sensed his presence right in front of her, but kept her eyes closed.
A moment later, Song Wenjing stood up, and Rong Shu breathed a sigh of relief.
If he kept staring at her, she would be unable to resist opening her eyes.
She heard him walk a few steps away and then stop.
“I told my mother that you should stay in your room to recover from your injuries and that you don’t need to go to the east courtyard to pay your respects these next few days.”
Rong Shu opened her eyes.
So he knew he wasn’t asleep.
She would feel embarrassed to lie down any longer. Song Wenjing was her husband, and although she was not really willing to continue as before, she had to maintain appearances because of the facts.
She sat up, about to get out of the hotel to see him off.
Song Wenjing turned around to look at her, and resumed his usual indifferent demeanor.
“There’s no need to get up.”
Before the words were even finished, the person had already left the inner room.
Rong Shu decided not to go out. It was so cold, and she didn’t have to go to pay her respects, so she was happy to stay in bed a little longer.
But I couldn’t fall asleep anymore.
She placed her hand on her lower abdomen, wondering if there might already be a little life inside.
She hoped she could have one, but remembering that she didn’t have a child that year in her previous life, she felt it wouldn’t be that easy.
After thinking it over and over, I wasn’t in a good mood, so I decided to get up anyway.
Not long after breakfast, Xie sent someone from the east courtyard to deliver some ointments and tonics.
Yunxiang, Xie’s capable head maid, smiled happily, “The old lady told you to stay in your room and rest for the next few days. Don’t worry about anything else; she’ll take care of things for you.”
Rong Shu smiled and agreed, “It’s because my mother loves me. It was just a minor injury, not something that prevented me from paying my respects.”
Yunxiang noticed that the usually quiet and reserved Third Madam had been acting quite differently lately.
It seems that she has become less timid and more composed, befitting a matriarch.
No wonder the old lady has been looking at her with new respect these past few days.
Before returning home, Yunxiang received a small silver coin from the Third Madam.
Her smile widened, and she said a few kind words before leaving.
After she left, Mei Yun’s smile faded, and she said with a slightly somber expression, “Madam, our allowance for this month is not much.”
Rong Shu knew, of course, that Mei Yun was the only person she had brought from home, and that she had always trusted only Mei Yun.
She wasn’t in a hurry when she heard this, and simply said, “Take that box and purse to Manager Du tomorrow.”
Mei Yun bit her lip. “Madam, no other mistress is like you. You should talk to Third Master about this.”
Mei Yun felt indignant.
The allowance for this household was actually quite substantial. The Song family was large and powerful, and Song Wenjing was the second son of the legitimate wife. As his wife, Rong Shu received a monthly allowance of thirty taels of silver.
Originally, it was enough to take care of the people around me or to buy myself some extra clothes and jewelry.
However, she had to set aside a portion of her monthly allowance to support her family, so this allowance often left her struggling to make ends meet.
Even because Rong Shu’s younger sister Jiang Fu fell ill two months ago, Rong Shu immediately sent someone to give her twenty taels of silver.
Having no other choice, she secretly did some embroidery work and had Mei Yun take it outside to sell in exchange for some money.
But she didn’t actually need to do that.
In Mei Yun’s view, since she was already married to Song Wenjing and was the third wife of the Song family, she could simply tell her husband if she was short of money.
Could it be that Song Wenjing, a man of upright character, would be short of money for his wife?